1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates generally to a unit wall composed of a plurality of wall units arranged in horizontal or vertical juxtaposition and relatively movable to form a curved wall of a building, and more particularly to a joint structure for an adjacent pair of wall units of such unit wall.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
A unit wall including a plurality wall units of a construction suitable for the formation of a curved wall of a building is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Utility Model Laid-open Publication No. 56-19612. The disclosed unit wall, as reillustrated here in FIGS. 9 and 10 of the accompanying drawings, includes two horizontally adjacent wall units each including a vertical frame member A, A' of a generally C-shaped cross section. The C-shaped frame member A, A' has a central web portion B, B' and interior and exterior flanges C, D or C' D' extending perpendicularly outwardly from opposite edges of the web portion B, B' into overlapping engagement with the interior and exterior flanges C', D' or C, D, respectively, of the opposite frame member A', A with interior and exterior seal strips E, F sealingly disposed respectively between the overlapping interior flanges C, C' and between the overlapping exterior flanges D, D'. The web portion B, B' has a longitudinal groove G, G' receiving therein an edge of a panel member H, H' mounted in an opening in each wall unit.
The wall units are horizontally pivotally movable about the interior seal strip E between a coplanar position shown in FIG. 9 and an angled position shown in FIG. 10 so as to form a part of a curved wall. With this construction, the distance between the center 0 of a space defined between the adjacent grooves G, G' and the bottom of each groove G, G' varies with an angle defined between the two wall units, as indicated by I, I' in FIGS. 9 and 10. With this varying distance, tedious and time-consuming measurement and calculation are necessary to install the wall units for forming a curved unit wall.
Furthermore, since the two adjacent wall units are supported together only by two engagement portions each formed by the two overlapping flanges C, C' or D, D', the frame members A, A' are likely to be twisted or deformed when subjected to severe forces or stresses created as in a typhoon or an earthquake. To withstand such severe forces, the frame members A, A' must be thickened which would result in a high manufacturing cost of the frame member.
A further drawback is that the exterior seal strip F is likely to be damaged or broken due to frictional engagement with the external flange D' when the frame members A, A' are tilted abut the interior seal strip E to spread at their exterior sides. With this damaged exterior seal strip E, rainwater and dust are permitted to enter the interior space J between the frame members A, A' and gradually deteriorate the interior seal strip E which would result in an eventual destruction of the weatherproof characteristics of the unit wall.